UCalgary receives $61M from province to fund high-demand programs

Thanks to the provincial government’s targeted enrolment expansion program, a key part of the Alberta at Work initiative, the University of Calgary has been provided with more than $61 million to create more seats in high-demand programs including data science, software engineering, commerce, rural nursing, veterinary medicine and quantum computing.

“This announcement of investments though Alberta at Work will allow the University of Calgary to continue to expand high-demand programs such as computer science, commerce, rural nursing, veterinary medicine and quantum computing, to name a few,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, UCalgary president and vice-chancellor. “It ensures that we are taking an entrepreneurial approach to our programs, offering the highest quality of education to our students, accelerating employability and providing the talent needed by our province.”

This funding will help support upskilling for Albertans and includes the previously announced $8.4 million for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the funding will support the following undergraduate and graduate programs, creating 1,301 new full-time student spaces:

Undergraduate

• BSc Software Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering undergraduate minor
• BSc in Computer Science (including online option)
• Bachelor of Data Science
• Bachelor of Nursing - Rural and Indigenous Routes
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Graduate

• Software Engineering Master of Engineering (MEng)
• Master of Data Science and Analytics
• Master of Information Security and Privacy
• Master in Quantum Computing
• Master of Nursing (stackable)

“Calgary has always been a dynamic city of industry and we are seeing growth from many sectors,” says Demetrios Nicolaides, minister of advanced education. “From aircraft maintenance to film and video production, we are supporting growing demand while providing additional support to core areas like nursing and engineering. This is about helping all Albertans by investing in high-quality learning opportunities that will impact our well-being, our quality of life and our futures.”

The Alberta at Work initiative is investing more than $600 million over the next three years in new and existing initiatives to help Albertans gain in-demand skills that will support economic growth now and in the future. It features investments that support Albertans from primary school to post-secondary skills training, as well as retraining for changing career paths and finding well-paying jobs.

The University of Calgary is a top-five research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. In 2021, an economic impact analysis report conducted by Hanover Research revealed that the university delivers $16.5 billion in economic impact and supports almost 22,500 jobs in the province.